PAPER ARGUMENTATIF

ORGAN TRANSPLANTATION

Arranged by:

Ika Rahmawati 2020115120004

Class A.15.1

NURSING SCIENCE PROGRAM

FACULTY OF MEDICINE

DIPONEGORO UNIVERSITY

2016
 Organ Transplantation

Organ Transplantation or organ donation can save lives and return individuals
with debilitating illnesses back to having productive, fulfilling lives. Seen as one of the
greatest achievements of modern medicine, through organ donation tens of thousands of
people are given a new lease on life through the selfless altruism of others who choose
to give their own organs in an effort to save others. Because there are more people in
our society who stand to benefit from organ transplants than there are donated organs, it
is necessary to have waiting lists and an allocation system which is a policy for deciding
which individuals receive organs when they become available. Allocation is determined
by a range of factors. Weighted differently in different instances, a patient’s medical
need and societal benefit are among the considerations. Medical need includes the
severity of the patient’s illness, risk of death without transplantation and time on a
waiting list. Patients with the greatest medical need and urgency for a transplant are
likely to be diagnosed with end-stage organ failure. If in support of this motion, no other
factors should be taken into consideration. If in opposition to this debate motion, both a
patient’s medical need and societal contribution should be considered when determining
the allocation of organs for transplantation. This debate centres on the consideration of a
patient’s potential benefit to society and if this should be factored in to the allocation
criteria. This could include a patient’s age, citizenship, criminal record, employment
history, life expectancy, and perceived value to society. Both the source and method of
obtaining the organ to transplant are also ethical issues to consider, as well as the
principles of individual and societal justice.
Organ donation is a highly admirable and responsible thing to do, and is one of
the most genuine ways to do something heroic and to potentially save someone's life. At
the same time though it is a serious decision and one that can have big implications.
Understandably some people will be concerned that the cons can outweigh the pros – it
is a highly personal decision and one that only you can make. It is a noble step, but not
for everyone, and a lot of it will come down to your personal beliefs. However while
this noble step is something only you can decide on, being fully informed can
nevertheless help you to make your decision. Here we will look at the pros and cons of
organ donation to help you decide whether it is right for you. We'll also look at some
facts regarding organ donation and some statistics.

Facts About Organ Donation

 You can donate organs at almost any age – anywhere between a newborn to a 65
year old can sign up.
 The donor family does not bear the cost of the surgery, despite some beliefs to
the contrary.
 Around 90,000 people are waiting for organ donations every month, and roughly
20 people a month die who could otherwise have been saved by available
organs.
 Kidneys, lungs, heart, skin, pancreas liver, eyes and intestines can all be
donated.
 Around 95% of eye donations enable the receiver to see again.

Cons of Organ Donation

Reasons against organ donation vary a lot depending on the individual. For some
there are religious reasons against organ donation, while for others their family beliefs
may contradict an intention to be a donor. In some religions for instance it may be
believed that organ donation could affect you in the after life. Likewise if you had any
hopes of coming back one way or another – and intended to freeze yourself ala Walt
Disney – then organ donation might stand in the way of that. Others might have a
particular desire to be cremated.
However many of the perceived 'cons' of organ donation are not in fact cons at
all, but rather are based on misconceptions. For instance many individuals incorrectly
believe that if they donate organs that they or their family will then need to fund the cost
of the operation used to remove the organ. This is a fallacy, and in fact all costs will fall
to the recipient.
At the same time many people avoid becoming organ donors as they are afraid it
will affect their own medical treatment – i.e. they believe that doctors and surgeons
might not try to the best of their ability to save them when they find out they are donors.
However this again is a fallacy as the surgeons involved in donations are completely
different from those who are going to be saving you. To them no one life is more
important than another and they are of course going to focus on saving the person in
front of them.
Families might be confused by the fact that donor bodies are often kept on life
support while the tissues are removed. Surgeons do not remove any tissues unless the
person is brain dead, but they sometimes put the body on a ventilator to keep the heart
pumping fresh blood into the tissues to keep them alive long enough to harvest. This is
not the same as life, but there is a moment when the ventilator is removed and the heart
stops.
Another “con” might be that the donor does not usually get to choose who the
organs go to, and perhaps an organ will go to someone of a different faith, political
viewpoint or temperament than the donor. The donor has to believe that all life is sacred
and that anyone who receives the “ultimate gift” of a donor organ will be grateful and
be imbued with a sense of gratitude and a desire to pay it forward.

Pros of Organ Donation

On the other hand there are countless highly important reasons that you should
donate organs. First of all, by donating organs you will be able to save lives and that
will make you a true hero to that person and their family. If you have ever known
someone who has received an organ, then you will know just what an incredible gift this
is. If you can save someone from dying, then of course most of us would see this as a
highly positive thing. At the same time though, by being an organ donor can actually
help you to save more than one life – rather it can help you to save several and a single
donor may touch the lives of up to 50 people. This can also have more repercussions as
you lead by example and convince more people to do the same.
From a selfish point of view this is of course something that can make you feel
highly good and proud about yourself, and knowing you have the donor box ticked on
your drivers' license is a great source of pride for many. And for those who really want
to live on in a physical sense – then actually donating organs is a way you can do this
and in a sense then a part of you will never die. Your organs will live on and go on to
help someone else, and at the same time your memory will of course live on for the
grateful people who receive your organs. ONE organ donor can save up to EIGHT lives.
There are nearly 115,000 men, women and children waiting for an organ transplant in
the U.S. By registering to become an organ donor, you can help save lives!
For the transplant recipient, it is a second chance at life. For some, an organ
transplant means no longer having to be dependent on costly routine treatments to
survive. It allows many recipients to return to a normal lifestyle.
For the family of the deceased donor, they feel a sense of goodness that came
from a tragedy – that if the organs are transplanted into a young, deserving person, then
their loss was not in vain. Donor families take some consolation in knowing that some
part of their loved one continues in life.
Living Donation – It is possible to donate organs while you are still alive. Living
people can donate a kidney, portions of the liver, lung, pancreas and intestines, as well
as blood, and go on to live healthy lives. Most often it is relatives who do living tissue
donation. It is possible, however, to register for completely humanitarian reasons and
give organs to a stranger.
 Daftar Pustaka

http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/15589/1/Organ-Donation-Pros-and-Cons.html

http://www.debatingscienceissues.com/wp-
content/uploads/2013/01/ORGAN_TRANSPLANTATION_print-friendly.pdf

http://advancingyourhealth.org/transplant/2013/04/01/pros-cons-organ-donation/